The Tasters and their Qualifications: Brent, Erica, Brian and Jan: 88 years of legal drinking

The Packaging: While we’re not fans of Three Olives’ typography, soft brown illustrations of three cups of espresso set against the dark coffee color of the vodka inside make this one an attractive package.

Tasters rated the following on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being “I wouldn’t take it if it was free” and 10 being “I’m heading to the liquor store right now to get my own!”

The Nose: 7.25, “smells like espresso but cleaner (no crema)”

The Taste: 8.75, “espresso with a kick”

The Recipe (wherein we mix up a drink from the company’s Web site, when relevant): 9, most comments featured the description “mmmmm”

The Overall Verdict: 9 While the nose got mixed ratings, the taste and overall response was very favorable. It was described by one as “rich and smooth”; another wrote “nice, robust very coffee like”; another loved the recipe and called the vodka “pretty good, not my fave espresso liquor but pretty darn good.”